My great grandmother Sarah Kennedy Flanagan has been extremely difficult to research, mainly due to her children being orphaned at a young age, and her children being split up and lost to each other. Yet even the records I have been able to find offer conflicting information. I also have not identified a single other descendant who is actively researching Sarah or Sarah’s line, with whom I could collaborate on this tough woman.

Although Joe died — according to family — never recovering from losing everything in revolution-torn Mexico and having to juggle poor sporadic work, he provided his family with a successful fresh start. Joe just didn’t live long enough to witness most of these successes.